Tag: John Calvin

Michael Servetus was sentenced to death for rejecting the Trinity. One of those who voted for this was John Calvin. According to the N.T. was this practice (killing heretics) done by any of Jesus’ Apostles? I think you will find that it was the other way around.

As a Christian, I don’t hate anyone especially with those I disagree with like Calvin, Arminian, Luther or any of the Reformers. We cannot blindly follow someone’s teachings without comparing it to scripture. What I hate is false doctrine. We have to remember though that some of the Reformers were heavily influenced by Catholicism and carried out the same punishment on heretics that which they themselves deemed unChristlike when the Catholic Church did it to them. Not all the Reformers were killing false teachers, only those who were devoid of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the way a Christian would be identified would be through love as seen in John 13:35 which says, By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Does that love include unbelievers as well meaning everybody?

Matthew 5:43-47

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus summed up all of His teachings in two commandments. If we live by these two commands we will keep them all.

Matthew 22:34-39

34 When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

If you love the Lord with all your heart, you will not replace Him with an idol in the form of materialism, people, animals or a statue.

If you love your neighbor as yourself, you won’t harm him/her in any way. You will tell them the good news, help them in any way possible so that they can see Jesus in you.

How about if your neighbor is a false teacher? God commands you to love the false teacher by telling them the truth in a loving way and to continue to pray for their salvation.

How did John Calvin treat his neighbors who were false teachers? He gave them a one-way ticket to hell by putting them to death. Folks, that is NOT love, especially when as Christians, we are appointed to direct them to Jesus for salvation not send them to hell by any means.

One Calvinist stated:

“In Calvin’s day there was a zeal like Phinehas had where God’s truth was concerned. They took it most seriously the stewardship to keeping it unsullied. They also feared for the eternal souls of those who could easily be led astray by those who spouted false doctrine.

I, too, love my brother in Christ, John Calvin. I’m also glad that he was used by God in spite of his imperfections and failings. It gives me hope and also makes me appreciate God’s patience toward us.”

Folks, do you see how they twist the scriptures? In the time of Phinehas, the Jewish people were under a theocratic state meaning that Yahweh the Lord was their King and He ruled His people through His Priests namely Moses, Aaron and his sons in the time that the Jews were in the wilderness for 40 years.

This Calvinist is referring to Numbers 25:6-9 which says, 6 An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped, 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

So this Calvinist is justifying John Calvin killing heretics based on these Old Testament passages which would make killing false teachers justified. Even though we are under the New Covenant just like all the Reformers were. Does time dictate how we should view the Bible or should we view the Bible how it dictates to us how we should live regardless of the times we live in? for the Word of God does not change, Jesus does not change.

If the laws were to change today and would give us the right to kill and destroy all false religion or cults like The Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and so on, would you, as a born again believer go out there and murder them? Would the times that you live in give you the right to override the Bible’s teachings? Of course not, for the Word of the Lord is eternal and doesn’t change. We as Christians must obey Jesus Christ regardless whatever time we are born in. How can you tell the difference between a true and false Christian? You can tell by their fruits which will affect their doctrine as well.

Matthew 7:15-20

15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

What fruit did John Calvin produce?

John 16:1-2

16 “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God.

Ladies and gentleman, John Calvin was in a ministry of killing heretics thinking he was doing a service to God. God calls this a false teacher and the scripture warned us to let us know that the Lord will never send a Christian that displays those qualities which are unChristlike. Who else does this today? The Muslims, not all but those who take the Qur’an seriously and literally. John Calvin is no different.

an atheist when shown evidence of God’s existence still claiming there is none and Christians who follow a specific Reformed theologian who has killed heretics thinking that he was doing service to God but in reality he was the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy.

John 16:2-3,“2 They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God.3 They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or Me.”

In the end this is all I can say; There are just some who want to remain blind.

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Salvation

If you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I encourage you today to do so. Repent and believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and took your punishment upon Himself, was buried and on the third day rose from the grave. If you give your life to Jesus by faith in His sacrifice, He will give you eternal life.

Some religions like Mormonism, Islam, and Catholicism, all claim that they have received new revelation.

A message to all believers in Christ Jesus

The desire of my heart is to reveal Satan’s tactics and how one can overcome his schemes. I want to encourage you to fight the good fight of faith. Putting on the full armor of God, by way of reading the Word of God and praying every day so that you may be strengthened and be transformed into the image of Christ for good works.

-SpaniardVIII

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A Brief Background

I grew up in a family that to this day still does Santeria (the raw form of Witchcraft). Jesus saved me from becoming one even though I participated as a young child under my mother's authority. As a child, I used to see literally, demons walking in my house and it used to scare the heck out of me. I would write down more of my experience but it would be too long. The desire in my heart is to reveal Satan's tactics and how one can overcome his schemes. I want to encourage you to fight the good fight of faith. Putting on the full armor of God by way of reading the Bible and praying every day so that you may be transformed into the image of Christ for good works. If you haven't made Jesus your Lord and Savior, I pray that you do because there is no other way to make it to heaven as seen in John 14:6 which says, "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" If you believe that He died for your sins and on the third day He rose from the grave you will be saved. Ask Jesus today, to forgive you of all of your sins and to save you and He will.